Estonian PM emphasised importance of equal treatment of farmers in EU

At the negotiations over EU budgetary perspective for the years 2014-2020 at the European Council meeting Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip emphasised the importance of speeding up the equalisation of direct agricultural grants, reports the Government Press Office.

“Estonian farmers have to be
treated to those of other countries in the European Union,” said Ansip.
Estonian farmers get only 44 per cent of the average grants per hectare in the
EU.

The head of the Estonian Government
also noted that sufficient resources will have to be allocated for the EU
cohesion policies as it would help enhance the level of welfare in less
developed regions and to recover from economic decline.

When commenting on the conclusions
reached at the summit that EU resources will have to be used wisely and
investments will have to be directed towards guaranteeing economic growth,
Ansip stated, “This means that the budget will have to support all of the
activities that would help increase the employment rate and enhance economic
growth and improve European Union’s competitiveness.”

Estonia supports the position that
the use of structural funds’ resources would in future be linked to the
economic policy recommendations issued to each Member State by the European
Commission.

Estonia is of the position that a
better functioning common internal market is an important factor of economic
growth in the European Union – such as the opportunity of enterprises to
provide services without any administrative hindrances across the European
Union. It is also important to proceed quickly with creating a single market
for digital services as this would promote e-commerce and cross-border use of
services.

Circular economy for modern growth: EU and the Baltics EU’s circular economy plans are aimed at efficient use of natural resources and raw materials, waste disposal, while fostering energy savings and reducing CO2. Adequate actions in the Baltic States would contribute to “closing the loop” of product lifecycles through greater recycling and re-use, while bringing benefits to environment, business and economic growth.